Firefighters quickly extinguish fire at Nathan Hale school

New London — City firefighters this morning quickly extinguished a fire on the roof at the under-construction Nathan Hale Magnet Elementary School for Performing and Visual Arts.

Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said a construction worker using a saw ignited insulation in the ceiling directly above the gym. Finizio said an 8-by-8 foot section of the roof was damaged. The fire was reported at around 9:15 a.m.

Construction workers had initially put out the fire, but firefighters had to rip through the insulation to ensure that it did not spread across the roof. Firefighters used a ladder truck to inspect the roof.

“The damage is minimal,” said Finizio. “The fast response from our department prevented the fire from becoming much worse.”